Water. desalination + reuse

October 2017 Water Reuse: Drivers, Innovations and Public Perceptions Respondents were asked to score a list of eight of the most widely used water technologies for level of effectiveness in water reuse. While applications differ, the results provide an indication of the level of market acceptance and perceptions about the effectiveness of the different technologies. Reverse osmosis (RO) was rated as the most effective technology by far. Across the board, it scored eight out of a possible 10, and received the top score "very high effective", from 39.26 per cent of respondents. The next most highly rated technology, ultrafiltration, scored 6.81, and was rated as "very highly effective" by 19.4 per cent of respondents. RO was rated the highest by respondents working in the Americas, scoring 8.11 out of a possible 10, and receiving the "very highly effective" rating from 44 per cent. The lowest score for reverse osmosis was from respondents whose work covers Europe, who scored it 7.63 out of a possible 10, with 28.57 per cent rating it "very highly effective". The patterns of scoring were similar across the regions: Respondents working in all regions rated RO highest, followed by ultrafiltration, then membrane bioreactor. Microfiltration and nanofiltration were ranked fourth and fiŒh, apart from by respondents working in the Americas who put them the other way around by 0.03 points. In the final three spots, thermal distillation, membrane distillation, and forward osmosis were ranked sixth, seventh and eight respectively by respondents whose work covers the Americas, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa (MEA), while in Europe the final two ranking positions were reversed, with membrane distillation scoring lowest. For thermal distillation, the distribution of scoring was relatively even compared to other technologies, and this was particularly true for MEA where it is widely used. For respondents whose work covers MEA region, thermal distillation came third according to the number of ratings for "very highly effective," at 12.59 per cent. For those working in all other regions, the top three percentages for "very highly effective" followed the overall ranking of technology effectiveness: RO, ultrafiltration, membrane bioreactor. Membrane bioreactors scored the lowest among respondents whose work covers MEA, at 5.96. • Reverse osmosis scores highest among respondents working across all sectors • Membrane bioreactor technology rated highly by those working in the Americas and Asia Pacific • Thermal distillation more popular among those in Middle East and Africa Ranking of technology effectiveness Technology Score Reverse osmosis 8.00 Ultrafiltration 6.81 Membrane bioreactor 6.17 Microfiltration 6.08 Nanofiltration 5.81 Thermal distillation 4.47 Membrane distillation 4.12 Forward osmosis 3.67 50 40 30 20 10 0 Reverse osmosis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Not ef- fective 10 Don't know 6.3% 16.42% 1.48% 3.36% 0.74% 1.87% 1.85% 1.12% 2.59% 2.99% 4.81% 5.22% 0% 0.37% 7.04% 11.94% 2.96% 6.34% 13.33% 13.43% 19.63% 17.54% 39.26% 19.4% Percentage Score 8 50 40 30 20 10 0 Ultrafiltration 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Not ef- fective 10 Don't know Percentage Score 6.81 The ratings for effectiveness of technology in water reuse reflect regional differences in approach, and reinforce the position of reverse osmosis as the premier technology How do you score the following technologies for level of effectiveness in water reuse in your markets? Technology WHAT THE ScoRES MEAn 1 very low effective 5 mid-level effective 10 very high effective All RESPondEnTS: 309 What is the biggest technological challenge in water reuse in your markets today? "Cost of new technologies and zero liquid discharge" technical/ engineer - lead, engineering consultancy, MEA "Absolute and affordable multi-barriers, to guarantee the quality of the final product" director, industrial plant owner/ operator, Asia Pacific

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